{"id":1308,"date":"2022-01-13T08:41:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T13:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=1308"},"modified":"2022-01-13T08:41:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T13:41:18","slug":"an-unhurried-life-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2022\/01\/13\/an-unhurried-life-2\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unhurried Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re not even two weeks into the new year and chronically busy Americans are already becoming anxious.

Is there going to be enough time to accomplish what we so recently resolved to make happen in 2022? 

One of the great human obsessions of the modern age is to make time jump through more hoops \u2013 to force time to be more productive.  That\u2019s why so many of us are suckers for the next generation of \u201ctime-saving,\u201d minutes-stretching, technological innovations.  Life apparently isn\u2019t worth living without the fastest possible internet connection, not to mention same-day deliveries of retail purchases.  We’re urged to stay ahead of the curve.

When it comes to time, however, people are truly equal.  We all are charged with managing exactly 60 minutes over the next hour. In a culture that seems increasingly panicked about such a basic responsibility, what\u2019s our call?

Our call is to embrace the conviction that time is not our enemy<\/em>. 

We may fret that we don\u2019t have enough time, or that time is going too fast.  But the perspective of Scripture is that we already have at our disposal exactly the number of hours we need to do exactly what God<\/em> wants us to do \u2013 and never to feel rushed.

First-time visitors to Rome frequently conclude that they may have only one chance to explore such an historic city.

Therefore they sign on for one of those everything-included-hurry-up-and-keep-moving tours.  \u201cNow here\u2019s the Colosseum, there are the Spanish Steps, and just over your shoulder is the ancient Forum.  Next, let\u2019s take 20 minutes to admire the marvelous Sistine Chapel.\u201d 

You know the drill:  Stand over there and let me get your picture throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. Wow, there sure are a lot of pigeons. Hey, look at the time.  Please keep moving<\/em>.  

That is all too often an out-of-towner\u2019s only exposure to the Eternal City (which must seem like an ironic name for people rushing to take in all the sights).

By contrast, people who move<\/em> to Rome have a completely different encounter with the city.  They don\u2019t scurry about as tourists.  They are residents.<\/em>

Experienced Romans know that years are required simply to begin to comprehend what this place has meant to human history.  Every street, every alley, every building has a story to tell.  A tourist cannot possibly absorb and appreciate such stories in a four-hour sweep across town.

With all of our hearts, we must resist the temptation to become tourists in our own lives.

\u201cI\u2019d like the four-hour highlight tour of parenting, please.\u201d  \u201cCome on, kids, it\u2019s time to do third grade.  Stand right there and let me get your picture. OK, on to the next stage in your life.\u201d

We must refuse to buy tickets for the quick walk-through of the Museum of Religious Experiences. God calls us not to rush through the time that has been given to us, but to be fully alive to God and to each other \u2013 to actually become residents within these moments we\u2019ve been provided.

Psalm 90 is the only one of the Bible\u2019s 150 psalms attributed to Moses.  It\u2019s quite possibly one of the most ancient texts of Scripture.  We read in verse 12, \u201cSo teach us to count our days, that we may gain a wise heart.\u201d  In this context, counting doesn\u2019t mean obsessing over numbers.  It means thinking carefully about the meaning of each day \u2013 living wisely and living well at a pace that allows us to love God and love each other.

Hurry is the great enemy of love.  And it always corrodes joy.

Therefore we might choose to pray, \u201cLord, teach me how not to be in a rush today, even though I know I\u2019m going to be busy.\u201d

In 2022, we will have all the time we need to accomplish exactly what we\u2019re called to do.

Every moment will be gift. 

And every moment will count forever.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re not even two weeks into the new year and chronically busy Americans are already becoming anxious. Is there going to be enough time to accomplish what we so recently resolved to make happen in 2022?  One of the great human obsessions of the modern age is to make time jump through more hoops \u2013 to force time to be… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[282,258],"class_list":["post-1308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hurry","tag-time"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1310,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1308\/revisions\/1310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}